Canopic Jars

When people who lived in ancient Egypt died, if they were rich enough, they paid to have their body made into a mummy to preserve it for the afterlife. In order to make you into a mummy, the undertakers had to take out your guts (otherwise you would rot). This was kind of like cleaning a fish. They took out your liver, your stomach and small intestine, your large intestine, and your lungs. (They left your heart inside your body, because people thought the heart was where your soul lived.)

But what should they do with the guts? You might need them in the afterlife, too. So the undertakers put your guts in jars, each organ in its own jar. We call these jars "canopic jars", and we find thousands of them in Egyptian graves.

Each kind of organ had its own god and goddess to protect it, and the jars showed which god was responsible. These gods were the sons of the Egyptian god of protection and rebirth, Horus. Your liver went in Imsety's jar with the human head on it, and Isis protected that jar. Your lungs went in Hapi's jar with the baboon head on it, and Nephthys protected that jar. Your stomach went in Duamutef's jar with the jackal head on it, and Neith protected it, and finally your large intestine went in Qebehsenuef's jar with a hawk head on it, and Serket protected it.

To find out more about mummification, check out these books
from Amazon or from your library:

Kidipede - History and Science for Kids is an award-winning website for middle school written and published since 1995 by Dr. K.E. Carr, Professor Emerita, Department of History, Portland State University.

RELATED PAGES:

History for Kids is entirely supported by your generous donations and by our sponsors. Most donors give about $10. Can you give $10 today to keep this site running? Or give $50 to sponsor a page?